The Dillon tribune., 1887-04-29
Gh< 1illon !Gribn,e.
OLD UNCLE CY.
PEN PICTURE OF THE OLD TIME
PLANTATION SLAVE.

Found In Many u southern uOuse"
hold-Chnrnctcristic~ Of il Typical Me-
gro servant-"Aunt isess."
'.Unclc Rcm,ls, "so charmngly ,kctched
by Chandler Harris, Of Georga, had his
counterpart in many u southern house
hold My Uncle Rcmus ~ dead. He was
the home born slave Of my gran'lfathcr,
in Jinrnwcll, and in his early manhood
raftcl lumber down E,listO river to
Charleston A pure African By bloo,i lie
had tho strongly marked prognathO,ls
features Of his race; was six feet high,
with flesh and muscle in proportion. On
the marriage of my father, in 1920 Cy
was given to him, and helped him to build
the log house to which he took his bride,
and to clear his first field. Uncle Cy, as
the children always called him, taught me
to ride horse, and later ON to shoot II
gun. He shook hickory nuts out Of the
tall trccs, and rived trap sticks for me to
cAtch birds, made cute bows ana arrows,
and in the spring time could peel OFF bark
from saplings and plait me the most glori
ous popping Whips in the world. He was
the best wagner Of his time; could get
more out of II tenn with less worry, and
take n heavy load over the worst roads
with less accident than anybody else. At
log rollingS and house raisings he was
head man, and likewise ut cr,dlin. oats
and wheat. lie was fabulous, in my eyes,
for strength and skill. For pio..ing, hoe
ing and cotton pichin" he WAS no great
things-rtthcr dishain"h thr,n rs fit only
for women and common ni.tsers. lie was
great aXilHn, end co!.ltl ErW TO the linc.
lie chcWcu tobacco: and many Of my
choicest fnyors and proEtiA:ion$ were pro-
cured by II qrid literally G!id pro gao.
1 ~ tiln i.,; tlp nt ttlijIv fr
forty children, bcspitc: in his own image,
and that al! his r;!y--,litrcn,
grandchildren and Observation-Disclosures
would nt This time amount To several hum
'lru1.
Uncle Cy became Il fair plantation ear
pcntcr and blacksmith: could make" Iinu
and stock it, hang doors and gates and
make II wagon that would run. Tn my
fathers death Cy became the propcrt; Of
my mother by his will, for he thought !
fully said she could not keep up the plan
tation without him. Al the division of |
her estate he and his wife fen to me. Hy !
degrees lie graded ne III, rs years went on. |
II was first Holland, then Mas Holland,
then Master, which title he used 70 the
last, as though nc liked il. Here | may
record II criticism on that roinailcc Of |
marvellous genius, ''UEcla Toms Cabin
Such II negro as Uncle Tom was never
sold out Of any family. Money could not
buy that sort.
IL was II great treat to bv permitted to
''gO to town. with Uncle Cy on the cot
ton wagon. There was one to whom he !
bore tender loyalty, and for whom he
had three nnnlcs--Missus, Your Aiu,ldcr,
and Miss Betsy. 10 her nc felt u'nc,.;.blc
FOR the laas safety, and he well knew how
to afford him the utmost fun within safe
~ limits. When the bright camp fire WAS
kind!cl aud the team ll;:ItcrrH and fed for
the night, Uncle Cy worl bring on, that
frying paI-his only culinary apparatus
--an'' "rk '!p II snyory meal For butch
erin beef or mutton there was none
like Mns, and at hog killing time he on
richcd me with pigtails and bln,ltcrs In
ghosts and witches he was Il firm believer.
and could beat Vcnnor proyuoSticating the
weather. | would put him against Car
lislo or BarnRrl for telling the hour of the
night II the Seven Stars, jobs Coffin, the
Three Runners, and other heavenly bodies
werc shining.
For "scrscers he had :, deep dislike.
While obeyns his owp master in the
letter and spirit "f the Epistle to the
t.phcsinns, he was insnbordn.te 10 dele
gatHt authority, and here came IN his
most serious troubles. A. sad cast, re-
member I" have occurred in Alabama
about 1saO. In u difficulty with the
"verserr Uncle Cy 'eirllcd and .nn away,
taking with him two other negro men,
They were gone over !; year, and no
tidings Of them could he got. At last
they turned up in South Carolina IL
seems lhey had made their way back to
the OH EArnwrll nrig ighborhuu,l, Il distance
OF over 500 miles, crossing the Chatta-
hoWhee, Flint, Ocunee, Nrmulrce and
savannah rivers, ",.l hecomin:, weary of
hiding out they voluntarily s,rrv!aivvrl
themselves. was Il schonhoy at Collins
worth, ia, when they passed along the
ro"t IN the ragged and chapt"!lvn plight of
ruMlways being, returned hu,ur
Thirty years later Uncle CN nict .,.c at
thc station to take me out ,r r:y farm,
hutler Lodge. OF that runaway
episode IN his life he had ever lw,u r.ii-
cent, but - VIC rode along through the
lonely io.cs, drew him on, un il. "\ow
tell ne; no danger; frcr'loin'S come; ,rll
me all :shout it--huw \uu .lu.lncd tho
patrols anu crossed those rivers and mu,,.
the trip. And ! slipped i plu. Of TO.
paco INTO his hand Never was !: t,:,u,y
mile journey better be- .ilol. Tie tuLl
me nll-h"w they got ,p pastnrk of pro-
VISIONS I" start on and how llry rrulru
ls'icd 1t hy the way, the n,lrruw rscup,s
the shrcwd disCuises for paSsiu.. lhrnuch
or around the towns and villages: living
low by day and travelling hy night. Dick
ems never contrivcl u story with richer or
moro various Incident; Much comedy
nut ever and anon touching on trarcly
Nenophon's famous retreat with III.
'",'""HrerkS did not excel this in st stratery,
ou, Of what was left when the cu,anCi-
na',oh came ! gave him forty acres of
iahd ahd mot Il mule huu II yoke of
steers, i Cow and calf, some provisions
an" ms tools He soon tiX,l UP snug
NNlllr and a AlllI and NAnl Mill NArl